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Business Finance: A Complete Introduction

Name: Business Finance: A Complete Introduction
Rating: 4.5 (1046 reviews)

Business Finance Made Simple: Accounting, Financial Statements, Ratio Analysis, and ROI Modeling in Excel

Created byRay Harkins, The Manufacturing Academy

Last updated 6/2026

English

What you'll learn

Understand and apply the basic business accounting practices such as the Fundamental Accounting Equation, the Revenue Recognition principle, Accrual Accounting,
Understand and interpret the four main financial statements
Use financial ratios to compare a business's performance year-over-year or to other businesses
Calculate and apply the concepts of profitability, liquidity, solvency and efficiency to analyze a business's performance.
Estimate the key inputs of ROI analysis including future revenues, on-going expenses, initial investments, risk, net working capital, manufacturing overhead
Build a Net Present Value financial model to determine if a major investment is right for your organization
Financial modeling and analysis

Course content

5 sections • 66 lectures • 6h 7m total length

Introduction to Course8:38
An introduction to this course.
About Downloadable Resources1:04
A note about the course documentation.

Downloadable Resources, Business Accounting1:13
Introduction to the business accounting section portion of this course.
What to expect from this section2:09
What to expect from this section.
The Economic Entity Principle4:01
Explains the nature of economic entities and why understanding them is critical t the foundation of accounting.
An Introduction to Balance Sheets12:22
An introduction to balance sheets including explanations of assets, liabilities, and owners' equity, and a special section on unearned revenue.
More Introduction to Balance Sheets1:52
Start building a balance sheet.
The Fundamental Accounting Equation7:46
The Fundamental Accounting Equation.
An Introduction to Double Entry Bookkeeping3:17
An introduction to the Double Entry Accounting system.
More on Double Entry Bookkeeping10:08
More details on the double entry accounting system, left hand debits and right hand credits.
Building a Balance Sheet9:30
An explanation and examples of current and non-current assets. The Monetary Unit assumption.
Depreciation and Amortization7:11
What are depreciation and amortization, how are they alike, and how are they different.
Finalizing Assets on the Balance Sheet2:40
Wrapping up the assets side of the balance sheet.
Current and Non-current Liabilities3:59
An explanation and examples of current and non-current liabilities.
Owners' Equity14:05
An explanation of the owners' equity portion of the balance sheet, and a look at an actual balance sheet from a publicly held company.
Balance Sheets
Introduction to the Income Statement6:24
More Introduction to the Income Statement8:25
COGS, SG&A, Gross earning and Operational earnings
Building Out the Income Statement3:54
Interest, Taxes, EBIT and Non-recurring income.
Finalizing the Income Statement9:09
Common-sized statements, Reviewing the income statements for publicly held companies
Income Statements
Understanding the Cash Flow Statement1:47
Difference between accrual accounting methods and cash flow measurement.
More Understanding of the Cash Flow Statement6:58
Review of Calaway Golf cash flow statement.
Building a Cash Flow Statement2:32
Operational, Investing and Financing activities starting with Net Income.
Operating Activities on the Cash Flow Statement5:13
Reconciling the Income Statement with actual cash flow.
Investing Activities on the Cash Flow Statement1:43
Reconciling investing activities with actual cash flow.
Financing Activities on the Cash Flow Statement4:10
Short and long term borrowing, sale of stock, dividends and similar financing of the business. Pulling together the entire cash flow statement.
Cash Flow Statements
The Statement of Owners' Equity10:36
Terminology and methods related to tracking changes in owners' equity. Par value, APIC, Treasury stock, Dividends and Retained earnings.

Downloadable Resources, Financial Ratios1:36
Tying together business accounting with financial ratios
Introduction to Financial Ratios4:37
An introduction to financial ratios and this section of the course.
A Simple Example5:34
A simple example of financial ratios used in personal finance.
Introduction to Profitability2:24
An introduction to profitability. Margin versus Return.
Formulas to Calculate Profitability8:28
How to calculate the various profitability ratios using actual financial statements.
Profitability Analysis using Excel7:43
One way to analyze profitability ratios using Excel.
Profitability
Introduction to Liquidity1:56
An introduction to liquidity and how it's measured.
Formulas to Calculate Liquidity7:13
How to calculate two popular profitability ratios using actual financial statements.
Liquidity Analysis using Excel5:35
How to use use liquidity measures in Excel when comparing companies to each other.
Liquidity
Introduction to Solvency and Leverage2:57
An introduction to the third group of financial ratios, solvency. Measuring the mix of debt and equity to finance an organization's assets.
Formulas to Calculate Solvency8:32
How to calculate the main solvency ratios.
Leverage Analysis using Excel11:38
Calculating solvency ratios in Excel and then using these calculations to gain insight into a company's financial structure.
Solvency
Introduction to Efficiency3:03
An introduction to the fourth and final group of financial ratios, efficiency.
Formulas to Calculate Efficiency12:28
Calculating inventory, accounts receivable and accounts payable deficiency.
Efficiency Analysis Using Excel10:00
Using these calculations in Excel to make vital comparisons between organizations.
Operating Cycle Analysis using Excel5:43
Bringing together the elements of efficiency analysis into an understanding of an organization's business cycle.
Efficiency

Downloadable Resources, Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis1:08
An introduction to the concept of return on investment analysis.
Initial Investments5:53
Understanding the financial aspect of an initial project investment including the purchased equipment, installation, training, etc.
Initial Investments in the Model3:33
Starting the ROI model, and building into that model the initial investments.
Salvage Value Overview4:52
The value of the capital investment at the end of its useful life.
Salvage Value in the Model1:40
Building that value into the ROI model.
Sales Revenue5:13
Projecting sales revenues for a multi-year project.
Sales Revenue in the Model3:18
Building Sales Revenues into the model.
Direct Costs4:59
The direct labor and material costs required to manufacture the product.
Direct Costs in the Model4:22
Accurately modeling direct costs.
Manufacturing Overhead4:01
The indirect costs required to manufacture a product. What they are and how to estimate them for a multi-year project.
Depreciation4:52
The planned, gradual reduction in the recorded value of an asset over its useful life by charging it as an operating expense.
Electrical Usage3:59
A comparison of consumption versus demand charges.
Overhead in the Model4:12
Accurately building these overhead expenses into the ROI model.
Gross Margin3:32
Operational profit: How to calculate it and why it's important.
Cash Flows3:05
The bottom line cash flows in a multi-year project
Change in Net Working capital11:03
The financial assets required to support the project
Net Working Capital Requirements6:05
The financial assets required to support the project year over year
Summarizing Annual Cash Flows2:40
The projected annual cash flows from the project.
Cost of Capital12:43
The value of cash for a given organization. WACC versus Hurdle Rate.
Discounting Future Cash Flows5:43
The present values of future cash flows.
Project NPV5:56
Interpretation of Results6:51
Understanding your project's NPV.

Requirements

Basic math skills
Basic Microsoft Excel skills
General manufacturing and business knowledge helpful
Analytical approach to problem solving

Description

Do you want to move beyond operations and start speaking the language of business?
Are you ready to understand the numbers that drive profitability, growth, and smart decision-making?

This course, Business Finance: A Complete Introduction, gives manufacturing, engineering, and quality professionals a practical, hands-on foundation in finance. Whether you’re preparing for leadership, managing budgets, or simply want to understand the financial impact of your work, this is the place to start.

What You’ll Learn:

We’ve designed this course to take you from “finance beginner” to “business fluent” in three clear sections:

1. The Basics of Business Accounting

Accounting is the language of business—and once you speak it, you can understand the story behind any organization. You’ll learn the core terms every professional must know (assets, liabilities, equity, accruals, revenue recognition), and how to read and interpret the four main financial statements:

Balance Sheet
Income Statement
Cash Flow Statement
Statement of Owners’ Equity

2. Financial Ratio Analysis

Learn how to pull actionable insights from financial statements and measure a company’s health in four key areas:

Profitability
Liquidity
Solvency
Efficiency

You’ll use included Excel templates to practice calculating and interpreting ratios, and you’ll see how managers compare results across time and against competitors.

3. Return on Investment (ROI) and Capital Projects

Should you invest in new equipment? Expand capacity? Launch a new product line? In this section, you’ll learn:

How to estimate relevant costs and revenues over the life of a project.
How to account for risk and the time value of money.
How to build an ROI model in Excel to calculate Net Present Value (NPV).

These are the same tools managers use to make multi-million-dollar decisions.

Why This Course Is Different:

Made for manufacturing professionals – Real-world examples from factories, supply chains, and engineering projects.
Hands-on with Excel – Every concept comes with templates and guided exercises.
Career-focused – Learn financial skills that position you for leadership and management roles.
Clear and approachable – No jargon. No fluff. Just what you need to understand and apply business finance today.

What You’ll Get:

3+ hours of clear, engaging video instruction
All Excel templates used in the course
Downloadable slides for reference
LIFETIME ACCESS to all course materials and all future updates
Certificate of Completion
Q&A support from a 30+ year manufacturing and quality professional

This course is ideal for:

Engineers and technicians ready to take on leadership responsibilities.
Quality and manufacturing professionals who need to connect operations with financial outcomes.
Rising managers who want to communicate confidently with executives and finance teams.
Anyone who wants to speak the language of business and make smarter decisions.

What Students Are Saying

"The explanations were clear, and the Excel templates made the concepts practical. I now understand how finance connects to my role in manufacturing."

"This course made finance approachable and relevant. Highly recommended for engineers wanting to move into management."

Take the Next Step in Your Career

The path to leadership in manufacturing requires more than technical expertise—you need financial fluency. This course will give you the confidence to contribute to business discussions, evaluate investments, and demonstrate the value of your decisions.

Enroll today and unlock the skills that will set you apart as a future leader in manufacturing.

Who this course is for:

Business managers, supervisors, or group leaders.
Technicians, engineers and programmers looking to advance into a managerial role
Small business owners

Business Finance: A Complete Introduction

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 10min

The Basics of Business Accounting24 lectures • 2hr 21min

Financial Ratio Analysis16 lectures • 1hr 39min

Return on Investment Analysis22 lectures • 1hr 50min

Conclusion2 lectures • 8min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: